Posted: Wed, Sep 9, 2009, 7:55 AM ET (1155 GMT)
The US cannot undertake any human spaceflight beyond low Earth orbit under currently-planned budgets, according to a summary report released Tuesday by a White House-chartered committee. The Review of US Human Space Flight Plans Committee, also called the Augustine committee after its chairman, Norm Augustine, found that NASA needs at least $3 billion more per year in order to afford any kind of exploration architecture that takes people to the Moon or other destinations beyond Earth. The report also estimates that if the space shuttle is retired as currently planned, the current architecture would result in a seven-year gap in human spaceflight, which could be slightly shortened by developing commercial crew transportation systems. The committee's results matched what they discussed during their public hearings this summer; a final report, with more details, is slated for release in the coming weeks. The White House, which called for the committee's creation in May, and NASA declined initial comment on the report's conclusions.

Related Links:

•  Washington Post article
•  Orlando Sentinel article
•  AP article
•  New York Times article
•  Committee summary report